Nomadic Souls: A Semiotics of the Start
אוצרות: ורה גייליס ואנה סמוליארוב
מרכז תרבות "הרמוניה", ירושלים
The exhibition "Nomadic Souls: Being Singular Plural", is a collaboration between the KAKDELART community and Nefashot and marks the inaugural event of the "Nomadic Souls" project. The exhibition is curated by Vera Gailis, independent art curator, art historian and lecturer.
Explore contemporary art addressing immigration to Israel with a focus on the psychological aspects. Artists form a mosaic reflecting the personal and collective experiences of immigrants from Poland, Argentina, England, France, and the former Soviet Union.
The title "Being Singular Plural" draws inspiration from Jean-Luc Nancy's philosophical reflections on community and existence. Symbolizing the intricate interplay between personal stories and broader social fabric, the exhibition serves as a bridge connecting different narratives, resonating deeply with layers of identity, memory, and belonging.
Notably, the exploration of the immigration theme "Being Singular Plural" is expressed through a series of works and pieces with recurring patterns and symbols, providing diverse understandings of the migration experience documented over time. This exhibition goes beyond typical immigration narratives, delving into authentic experiences, challenges, and memories shaping the lives of those with immigration experiences.
The exhibition focuses on the main problems of the first year of life in Israel:
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Initial shock after the ALIYA (Masha Neverova, Helen Borowski, Boris Voytsekhovskiy)
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Physical and mental loneliness (Katya Desnenko, Elena Shifrin, Bella Lipshitz, Marina Fazulina)
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Learning Hebrew and overcoming the language barrier (Lev Barukh, Nastya Faybish, Natalia Marginalia, Yana Ovrutskaya)
Barkov Alona
The exhibition's concept is revealed through pairs of works that combine traditional paintings and sculptures with objects reflecting real life.
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Notebooks from the studio of Alexander Goifman and Yulia Kireeva
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Drawings by Sasha Nikitina, Pavla Petrusheva, Maria Volokhonskaya
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A letter from Luba Laor's personal archive
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Notes to neighbors from Elena Shtemberg's house
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Comics by Svetlana Rudikova and Andrey Shilyaev
Luba Laor, Personal archive
The exhibition will feature two interactive installations by Oleg Korchagin and Katya Frucht, along with much more.
The exhibition examines the fundamental role of semiotics in the experience of aliyah. When new immigrants settle in the Land of Israel, they instinctively look for familiar visual cues and symbols to understand their surroundings. Because of their linguistic helplessness, these visual symbols become critical in the communication process and assimilation of the immigrants into the local culture.
Helplessness as an adult is a traumatic experience that is often hidden from Israelis. The studio notebooks may make native Hebrew speakers laugh, but the exhibition provides a glimpse into the intimate and sensitive process of how adults learn the language of the country where they started life from scratch.
Kakdelart - Platform for artist integration in Israel facebook | instagram
The Harmony Cultural Center hosts concerts, theatrical performances, exhibitions, film screenings, and other events by artists who have just arrived in Israel and local artists. website | facebook
Vera Gailis - curator, social activist, lecturer, artist facebook | instagram
Anna Smoliarova - curator, artist, cultural manager, lecturer facebook | instagram
Exhibition curator
Vera Gailis
Participants
Alicia Shahaf, Tali Ratzker, Irina Polonsky, Michelle Boginsky, Tanya Tour, Talia Shannon Moses, Vera Gailis and Katya Koba, Tanya Viner, Eva Leys, Eva Eliran, Kate Finkelstein, art group "Together," Nastya Faybish, Inga Avshalom Shilian and Victorina Korkut, Luba Laor and Rinat Sorkin, Marina Sokolova, Natalia Rosenbaum, Anna Bessonova, Ksenia Ravzina, Alona Barkova, Oleg Korchagin, Irina Veksler, Sofia Kaminska, Aaron Kravitz, Yana Noa Ustinova, Alexandra Smotrova, Georgy Rusoy.
January 25th - March 4th
Opening: January 25th, 19:00
Social space
Ehad Haam, 3 Jerusalem
Free entry